Site of First Mass in the

Philippines
Group 1
Objectives:
I. What are the controversies of the first mass
in the Philippines?
II. How vital it is to know the remnants of that
particular events?
III. Who were the people involve in that
particular events?
IV. What are the proof of those controversies?
V. Was the controversies right or wrong?
HISTORY
• The first Catholic Mass in the Philippines was
held on March 31, 1521 (Easter Sunday) by
Father Pedro de Valderrama.
• It is located at the Southern Leyte where the
Holy first mass marked the birth of Roman
Catholicism in the Philippines.
• Popularly known as the birthplace of the
Church in the Philippines.
Objectives
Controversies
Controversies
• There are two conflicting claims to its identity:
- one school of thought points to the little
island south of Leyte in the maps called
Limasawa;
- the other school rejects that claim and
points instead to the beach called Masao
in northern Butuan.
Controversies
• There are controversies about where is the
site of the first mass was held because of the
people of Butuan claiming its identity based
on their own evidences.
How vital it is to know the remnants
of that particular events?
Who were the people involve in that
particular event?

• Antonio Pigaffeta
• People of Butuan/Masao
• Sonia Zaide
• Jaime de Veyra
• Pablo Pastells
• Francisco Albo
• James Robertson
• An anonymous priest
• Antonio Pigafetta
- stated that the site of the first mass was
held in “Mazaua”

- in the authentic account of Pigaffeta, the

port was not in Butuan but an Island called
Mazua
• People of Butuan/Masao
their claims and evidences:
- The geographical features
- The name of the place
- The route
- The latitide position
• Sonia Zaide
- identified Masao in Butuan as the
location of the first mass

- diary of Antonio Pigafetta

• Jaime de Veyra
- stated that the first mass was celebrated
in Limasawa not in Butuan.
• Pablo Pastells
- stating by the footnote to Francisco
Colin’s Labor Evangelica that Magellan
(Leader of Pigafetta’s crew) did not go to
Butuan.
• James Robertson
- agreed with Pastells in a footnote
• Francisco Albo
- pilot of Magellan’s flagship
- his log book states that they crossed on a
mountain which overlooked three islands
the west and southwest
• An anonymous Priest
- studied all of Pigafetta’s maps which
place in Mazua off the southern tip of the
larger island of Leyte
Evidences for Limasawa
Evidences for Limasawa
What are the proof of those
controversies?
Were the controversies right or
wrong?
Conclusion
• https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/bu
dhi/article/view/582/579
• https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/chad4510
/site-offirstmassinthephilippines-history14
• https://www.manilatimes.net/first-mass-
philippines-held/157730/